A channel is a named group conversation for more than two people — for example a house team, a shift handoff group, or a topic like medication questions.
Only Managers and Billing users can create channels, rename them, and add or remove members. Staff and guests can participate once they are members.
Create a channel
- Open Messages.
- Click the + next to Channels.
- Enter a Name (for example
team-standup). - Leave Announcement channel off unless you want a one-way broadcast. See Announcement channels.
- Under Members, type names to add people from the roster. You can also type @ and choose a shortcut to add several people at once:
- @here — everyone you are allowed to add
- @managers / @staff / @guests — those roles from your roster
- @group — members of a company group who are also on your roster
- Click Create.
Channels appear in the sidebar with a # before the name.
Who you can add
Only Managers and Billing users add members. They can add anyone eligible for Messages in the company — active team members and self-reporters who have messaging allowed.
A regular (non-announcement) channel may include at most one self-reporter. To message many self-reporters at once, use an announcement channel.
Staff and guests do not get a member list. They see the channel name, who posts, and names when they type @ — not a roster of everyone in the channel.
Edit members or rename
- Open the channel.
- Open the conversation ⋯ menu and choose Edit.
- Change the name and/or members, then save. The Members field accepts the same @ shortcuts as when you create a channel.
You cannot remove the person who created the channel.
Mute, archive, and leave behavior
- Mute notifications — stops ordinary alerts for you on that channel; @mentions can still notify you.
- Archive — available to the creator only. Archiving removes the conversation from everyone’s list after confirmation. Use this when the channel is finished, not for a temporary mute.
Staff and guests do not get an Edit/Archive menu unless they created the conversation (archive is creator-only) or have mute available.
Sending in a channel
People in the channel can type a message and press Send. Use @ to mention someone (or a group) already in the channel. They get a mention alert right away — including if they muted the channel. See Mentions, search, and manager review.
In an announcement channel, only the person who created it can post. Everyone else can read. See Announcement channels.
Channel messages are still chat — not clinical documentation — unless a manager uses Document.
Common questions
- Can staff create channels? — No. Ask a Manager or Billing user.
- Can I turn a regular channel into an announcement later? — No. Announcement is chosen only when the channel is created.
- Why can’t I add a second self-reporter? — Regular channels allow only one. Use an announcement channel to reach many self-reporters (read-only for them).